refuge question

[warren thomas]

i read that a gravity feed from fuge to reef is the way to go due to keeping every thing alive by not being pumped . so is it worth the trouble to make a fuge if it needs to be pumped 11' by a mag 24 for an example? or will enough of the bugs and ect live to make a benifit to the reef ? im thinking on making a 55gal macro/dsb with reverse lighting or even 24 hour lighting. any input would be a big help thanks ! oopps and this will be for a 125 gal reef.

[minh_han]

Although it is best to have a gravity fed refugium, the ones below the tank are the most common b/c they are simply easier to set up. And yes, a number of critters still make it up into the display tank, albeit less. It can only help in my opinion. Many people just section off a part of their sump and call it their refugium. My whole sump is a refugium, as it only has my skimmer in it with rocks and macroalgae. I don't have a DSB in my sump b/c I think I have enough in my display.

[wetone]

I have to agree with Minh

The benefits of a fuge clearly out weigh NOT having one. The fact you can grow macro to compete with micros and cyno etc to keep your NO3 and PO4 down should be enough.

But I also think more water volume in the system, even if its only 20G is worth it.

I also use it sometimes as a place to hide frags from heavy current or "pickers" until they attach to their new rocks

I still have some small areas of hair algae on my glass. But it has declined 1000% since I added the fuge about 3 months ago. I also have a new skimmer, but I'm convinced the fuge is a plus in my system.

Just my thoughts.....

[Bruce]

I like to think of my refugium as a nutrient sink for the main tank. I'm not all that interested in having animals / larvae passing between the tank and the sump / fuge, but if it happens, so much the better. I also think the reverse light cycle is the way to go.

The only problem I see is that you'll need to slow the water down in part of the sump / fuge so the macros can get hold in one place and not be pushed around into one corner. A mag 24 is a pretty strong pump.

Bruce

[warren thomas]

im thinking on using plexiglass to make a divider, weir, baffle setup to slow flow down seperate from a pump, skimmer area and this way i dont have to light the whole tank . i hope to use 2/3 to 3/4 for refuge . also i went for mag 24 because i want to build a 33 xl frag tank above the 55 with gravity drain to sump and a small valve of of my mag 24 discharge line to feed the 33 .i could be building this if i wasnt using the 55 at this time .how do you know how much macro you need ? when all done im thinking ill have aprox 150 gal of system water 124 lb of LR 2" to 4" sand bed in reef maybe 6"in the sump .

[tstone]

how do you know how much macro you need ?

Get a bunch from some local reefers and it will grow and fill your fuge. Then just harvest it, cut it back, then it will regrow. The stuff you remove has the excess nutrients from your system.

So in short just get some, no mater how much, it will grow.

[pncstod]

Make sure you prune the algae regularly. If it goes sexual it can wipe out your tank it short order. You will not need a lot at all to "seed" a refugium. Before you know it you will have enough to choke a horse. :D

[tstone]

pncstod is correct, prune regularly. There is a macro called Chaetomorpha (sp) It will not go sexual. You still need to harvest to remove excess nutrients.

[warren thomas]

ok this might be a stupid question but what does going sexual mean and how do you know its time before it goes sexual ? thanks

[wgrisaitis]

Can anyone comment on how long one should keep the lights on for the refugium. I have read where some light the refugium in the opposite time as the main tank to help with pH, balance. Others say keep it on all the time to keep the algae growing in the same phase.

What are you all doing?

[pncstod]

As i understand going "sexual" is the following: The algae uses up all the nutrients in the water (phosphates etc..) The algae senses there is nothing more for it to consume so it tries to propogate itself by going sexual which produces massive amounts of spores which in the ocean would be carried away to a place where there was enough nutrients for it to regrow and reproduce. In a tank however, it will turn a nice clear tank to completely cloudy within a few hours. I have known a few people who this has happened to. One person left for 3 hours and came back to a pea soup looking tank. He was lucky and lost nothing. The other's were complete tank wipeouts with nothing remaining alive. I actually got a tank from a guy in Boston who left the hobby do to caulerpa going sexual. The caulerpa will turn white and release toxic stuff. Just be careful and keep it pruned......

[tstone]

If you read some of what Anthony Calfo says, Chaetomorpha is a great macro for refugiums because it does not go sexual and grows very fast.

I have to harvest mine about once a week.

It is great for nutrient export.